Child seat protector pad

ABSTRACT

In accordance with the present invention, a child seat protector pad is disclosed which is comprised of a rectangular pad of a closed cell foam material. It has a footprint somewhat larger than the footprint of a majority of infant and child seats for automobiles and a thickness and density sufficient to distribute the seat load forces internally while not marking the vehicle seat surface or presenting an unstable mounting surface. It also discloses an interior grip handle; and a space on the top surface for decorative artwork or commercial advertising. The child seat protector pad protects the vehicle seat surface from indentations caused by the weight of a child seat and/or abrasions to the vehicle&#39;s seat surface from relative motion between a loosely strapped child seat and a vehicle seat surface when sandwiched between a child or infant seat and a vehicle seat surface.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a Continuation-in-part from parentapplication Ser. No. 10/457,208 which is hereby abandoned.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

[0002] Not Applicable

SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM

[0003] Not Applicable

BACKGROUND-FIELD OF INVENTION

[0004] This invention generally relates to a protective pad forinstallation between leather, cloth, and vinyl automobile seats andchild seats strapped to the automobile seats with seat belts andshoulder harnesses. More specifically this invention relates to a closedcell foam pad that acts as a no-skid mounting surface that evenlydistributes the pressure from the bottom edges of child seats across thefull area of the pad eliminating compression or abrasion marks on thepermanent automobile seats.

PRIOR ART

[0005] The prior art discloses several different forms of seat cushionsfor providing an elevated sitting position for a child as in U.S. Pat.No. 4,231,613 to Jonasson, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,923 and U.S. Pat. No.4,463,984 to Molinar or pads with extensions for footrests as in U.S.Pat. No. D 342,405 to Hazel. U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,903 to Minardidiscloses a protective cover for a child seat. Its function isprotecting adjacent passengers from the rough or hard surfaces of achild seat, not the underlying vehicle seat.

[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 3,323,151 to Lerman discloses a pad that can be asingle pad for sitting, a hinged pad with seat and back pads attachedwith a compressed plastic foam hinge or a four pad hinged arrangementwhich can be un-folded for lying on. Its construction involves heatsealing the edges of die cut foam sheets and forming a smooth outer skinon the top and bottom surfaces when contacting hot die surfaces. Theliving hinges between the pads are also formed by heat compression ofthe foam materials. For seating comfort, the preferred embodimentdisclosed has a pad 1.25 to 1.50 inches thick with a foam density of 1.0to 1.25 lbs. per cu. ft. It will be shown later in the description thatthis is both too thick and too soft for use under a child seat toprotect the seats or to support securely a child protection seat.

[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 5,549, 353 to Gaudet discloses a plastic mat thatfits under a child car seat and extends down the front of the auto seatwith drains and traps to protect the car seats from water and dirt fromchildren's boots or shoes. It is not a foam pad, but is comprised of aflexible plastic sheet with rigid flanges for guiding and trappingfluids and a plurality of upward and downward projecting friction fitmembers to keep the mat from sliding on the car seat and the child seatfrom sliding on the mat. These integral friction fit members molded fromthe plastic sheet material appear to prevent much lateral movement ofthe seat but will leave marks on the underlying seat coverings if theseat is strapped under load for any appreciable length of time.

[0008] Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,752 to Conte utilizes foam or plushcarpet pads in bottom and backside recesses in a polymeric protectivecontainer that a child seat sits in. These pads function to protect theunderlying seats from abrasion while the bucket shaped containerprotects the seat surfaces from spills. They have no exposed top surfacefor artwork or advertising slogans as is illustrated in the presentinvention and if they use the plush carpet embodiment for the pad, it isdefinitely not waterproof or easy to clean. There is also no internalhandle for ease of handling in Conte.

[0009] Most car seats for children have narrow cross-sections where theyinterface to the vehicle seat surface. The mounting and loading forcesof the child seat on the vehicle seat surface, whether it is cloth,vinyl or leather, typically leave ugly indentations on the vehicle seatsurface. Abrasion of the vehicle seat surface occurs if the child seatis not securely fastened to the vehicle seat. This abnormal andirregular wear can cause the value of a used vehicle to deteriorate at amore rapid rate than cars without child seats in use. Some consumershave resorted to placing blankets on the vehicle seats before childseats are installed to protect the vehicle seats from abrasion from therough edges of typical child seats but they do not protect against thecompression damage.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

[0010] Accordingly, several objects and advantages of the presentinvention are:

[0011] (a) to provide a vehicle seat protector pad which will distributethe weight of the seat, the child and the strapping forces of the seatbelt across the area of the seat pad eliminating indentations in thevehicle seat upholstery caused by the bottoms of the narrow sidewalls oftypical child seats.

[0012] (b) to provide a vehicle seat protector pad that will act as ananti-skid device eliminating abrasion of the vehicle seat surface byrelative motion between the child seat and the auto seat.

[0013] (c) to provide a vehicle seat protector pad that has an area onthe top surface suitable for decorative artwork or commercialadvertising.

[0014] (d) to provide a vehicle seat protector pad that is easy tocarry, adjust and install with and inboard handle grip.

[0015] (e) to provide a vehicle seat protector pad that is one piece,flat and easy to store when not in use.

[0016] (f) to provide a vehicle seat protector pad that can be providedin different colors to coordinate with different vehicle interiors.

[0017] (g) to provide a vehicle seat protector pad that is impervious tomoisture and is easy to clean.

[0018] (h) to provide a vehicle seat protector pad that is made from amaterial that can be easily and indelibly decorated.

[0019] Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from aconsideration of the ensuing description and drawings.

SUMMARY

[0020] In accordance with the present invention, a child seat protectorpad comprises a rectangular pad of a closed foam material that has afootprint somewhat larger than the footprint of a majority of infant andchild seats for automobiles. It also has a density sufficient todistribute the seat load forces internally, greater than approximately1.9 lbs. per cu. in. and less than approximately 3.8 lbs. per cu. in.,preferably 2.0 lbs. per cu. in., while not marking the bottom surface. Athickness of greater than approximately ½ in. or less than or equalapproximately to ⅝ in. is required to provide stability to the seatmounting at the preferred density. The invention also embodies aninterior grip handle and a space on the top surface for decorativeartwork or commercial advertising. The foregoing and other objects andadvantages will appear from the description to follow. Reference is madein the description to the accompanying drawings which form a parthereof.

[0021] The accompanying drawings show, by way of illustration, aspecific embodiment in which the invention is practiced whereby acopyrighted character is shown for illustrative purposes and is notclaimed as a part of this invention.

[0022] This embodiment will be described in sufficient detail to enablethose skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to beunderstood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structuralchanges may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.The size and shape of the apparatus shown in the attached drawings isfor illustrative purpose only and is not intended to limit theapplication as to scaling that will be obvious to one skilled in theart. In the accompanying drawings, like reference characters designatethe same or similar parts throughout the several views.

DRAWINGS

[0023] Drawing Figures

[0024]FIG. 1 shows a top view of the seat pad.

[0025]FIG. 2 shows a front view of the seat pad

[0026]FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view through the handle grip.

REFERENCE NUMERALS IN DRAWINGS

[0027]10—seat pad; 12—handle grip; 14—area for decorative art orcommercial insignia

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Turning to the drawings for a more thorough explanation of theapparatus, child seat protector pad 10 comprises a rectangular pad ofclosed fine cell foam casting material such as a crosslinked polyolefinfrom Cellect, LLC, 70 Airport Road, Hyannis, Mass. 02601 known asMicroCell®. Experiments were conducted to ascertain the best thicknessand density combinations. As the density decreases, the thickness mustbe increase to keep the seat structure from marking the underlying seatcovers. However, if the thickness is too large it makes an unstablemounting base for the child seat.

[0029] The following foam densities with associated thicknesses weretested over a seven-day period with a fifty lb. child load. Densitylbs./cu. ft. Thickness Manufacture Comments MC 1.9 ¾″ Cellect Toothick-caused seat movement MC 1.9 1″ Cellect Too thick-caused seatmovement MC 3.8 ¾″ Cellect Too thick-caused seat movement SSP 2.0 ¼″Cellect Too thin-imprint on vehicle seat Evacel 3.8 ½″ Cellect Toodense-seat unstable MC 1.9 ¼″ Cellect Too thin-imprint on vehicle seatSSP 4.0 1″ Cellect Too thick & too dense-unstable MC 2.0 ⅝″ Cellect Verystable-no imprint

[0030] Material thicknesses less than ½″ or greater than ⅝″ will notprovide proper support. Foam density less than 1.9 lbs/cu. ft. will notprevent damage to the underlying seat and foam density greater than 3.8lbs/cu/ft. will not prevent the seat from moving making the mountingvery unstable. The preferred combination to distribute the seat loadforces internal to the pad, not marking underlying the upholsterysurface, and providing a stable mounting base is approximately 1.6centimeters (⅝ inch) thick with an approximate density of 2.0 lbs percu. ft. as shown in FIG. 2.

[0031]FIG. 1 shows a top view of pad 10 with a footprint somewhat largerthan the footprint of a majority of infant and child seats, not shown,for automobiles, approximately 45.7×47 centimeters (18 by 18.5 inches).

[0032] An opening with finger indentations for handle grip 12 is locatedapproximately 6.3 centimeters (2½ inches) from the front edge of pad 10,to aid in the handling and placement of pad 10 as shown in FIG. 1 and incross-section in FIG. 3.

[0033] A copyrighted cartoon character is also shown in FIG. 1, forillustrative purposes only, within the phantom line rectangular area 14.This area 14 can be utilized either for artwork or for advertising ifthe pads are to be given away as promotional items. The foam cellstructure must be fine enough to allow for detailed printing ofindelible inks for decorating and impervious to moisture for ease ofcleaning.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for protecting leather, vinyl andcloth automobile seats from compression marks occurring from thepressure of child seats being strapped down against said auto seat andabrasion marks caused by said child seats sliding around on said autoseat surface comprising: a rectangular pad of a molded closed fine cellfoam plastic that is sandwiched between said child seat and said autoseat and has a larger footprint than said child seat.
 2. An apparatusfor protecting leather vinyl and cloth automobile seats as in claim 1wherein said rectangular pad is of sufficient density, greater than 1.9lbs. per cu. in. and less than 3.8 lbs. per cu. in., to distribute thestresses from a child's weight and strapping forces of said child's seatacross the said footprint of said rectangular pad where by compressiondamage is eliminated and a stable mounting surface is maintained.
 3. Anapparatus for protecting leather vinyl and cloth automobile seats as inclaim 2 wherein said rectangular pad is of sufficient thickness, greaterthan ½ in. and less than ¾ in., to provide a stable base and preventcompression marking of said automobile seats.
 4. An apparatus forprotecting leather, vinyl and cloth automobile seats as in claim 1wherein said rectangular pad has an internally molded handle for ease ininstallation and handling.
 5. An apparatus for protecting leather vinyland cloth automobile seats as in claim 1 wherein said rectangular padsurface is of fine enough grain structure to allow for detailed printingof indelible inks.
 6. An apparatus for protecting leather, vinyl andcloth automobile seats as in claim 1 wherein said rectangular pad isimpervious to moisture for ease for cleaning.